Allergic to exercise: your guide to exercise-induced urticaria
Posted: 5th April 2023 | Posted by Costa
Allergic to exercise: your guide to exercise-induced urticaria
Exercise is great, if a bit of a mixed bag. You can end up feeling fantastic about yourself as you’re awash with endorphins and the feel-good vibes that you’re working towards a health goal. It just so happens you also become incredibly sweaty and feel somewhat gross. And if you’re a jogger, well, we hope you enjoy your 6am runs in the rain.
As if that wasn’t enough, some people have a rare condition that makes working out that much more difficult. It’s called ‘exercise-induced urticaria’, and as the name suggests it’s a bad reaction to exercise. While it is very uncommon, it can still be serious and worth knowing about. So let’s look at what it is and how you can avoid it.
What is exercise-induced urticaria?
First, let’s look at what urticaria is on its own. It’s something we talk about every year as there is a day dedicated to it. It is a skin condition more commonly known as hives, weals, or welts. The trademark red marks and rashes can be on a specific part of the body or spread across larger areas.
The exercise-induced version will occur during or after working out. Since it’s a relatively new condition – in that we’ve only just begun to define it over the last few decades – it’s not really known where it comes from. It’s also likely your body’s reaction to the heat generated during exercise.
While not the same, there is also exercise induced anaphylaxis and the further linked food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA). This is when you exercise after eating a particular food, causing a negative reaction. What makes it different from a normal food allergy? Well, many people with FDEIA do not react to the food in normal circumstances. It’s only when they exercise that it causes the reaction.
What are the symptoms of exercise-induced urticaria?
It shares many symptoms with regular urticaria, as we mentioned above. These include:
- Hives
- Skin flushing
- Skin swelling
- Abdominal pain
These are considered more ‘mild’ symptoms, in that they shouldn’t lead to a potentially fatal reaction. But there can be more serious symptoms, such as:
- Swollen tongue
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty breathing
- Feeling faint
Many of these are symptoms of an anaphylactic shock which can happen. This could lead to a loss of consciousness, a drop in blood pressure, and needs urgent medical attention.
What can you do about it?
The first obvious step if you have this condition (or suspect you do) is to avoid exercise. Given the potential dangers of it, it’s not something you can ignore. You have to talk to your doctor about it first. Once you have a diagnosis, then exercise may still be possible. You just might have to choose something less heat-intensive, such as swimming.
In the case of FDEIA, the recommendation is to stay away from exercise after eating the triggering food. So if shellfish causes FDEIA, don’t work out for 24 hours after eating it.
Whichever you have, our baseline advice is the same: talk to an expert. This isn’t something you can diagnose at home. Especially since the condition is so rare in the first place. They can work towards diagnosing you and adjusting your lifestyle post-diagnosis. Their advice will allow you to live a free and healthy life. It just might mean less jogging in the rain.
If you ever have any allergy concerns – including skin conditions and breakouts such as this or other forms of urticaria – get in touch. Our team of allergy specialists can help put your mind at ease. To find out more, simply call us on 02031 433 449 or register as a new patient here.